Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although Acokanthera schimperi also occurs in Yemen.[1] Its sap contains the deadly cardiotoxic glycoside ouabain. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons,[2][3] including those used for poaching elephant.[4]
The poison it contains works by stopping the heart, like most other arrow poisons.[5]
Acokanthera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae. It comprises 5 species and is generally restricted to Africa, although Acokanthera schimperi also occurs in Yemen. Its sap contains the deadly cardiotoxic glycoside ouabain. The sap is among the most commonly used in arrow poisons, including those used for poaching elephant.
Acokanthera schimperiThe poison it contains works by stopping the heart, like most other arrow poisons.
Species Acokanthera laevigata Kupicha - Tanzania, Malawi Acokanthera oblongifolia (Hochst.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex B.D.Jacks. - Mozambique, South Africa Acokanthera oppositifolia (Lam.) Codd - widespread from Cape Province north to Zaire and Tanzania Acokanthera rotundata (Codd) Kupicha - Zimbabwe, Eswatini, eastern South Africa Acokanthera schimperi (A.DC.) Schweinf. - Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Socotra, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zaire
